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Wildflowers report from Daniel in Sacramento. Can keep this report together or split into two locations if you think the description is too long.

Electra Road Jackson CA and the New Melones Lake Area.

Daniel reports: I started the day by first going to Electra Road in Jackson CA and was surprised to see a decent amount of poppies but mostly up on the hillside. The flowers were mostly closed due to the overcast weather but there appears to be a good amount of small poppies in the process of growing out. The view should be better in 1 or 2 weeks. There was a decent amount of patches for the first 2 miles up until the first bathroom. After that there are a few more spots with the last potential good area forming just past the dam. During the super bloom years the grass just took over most of this area. This year’s bloom has the potential to be better than the decent bloom I saw for this spot in 2018. There are also a couple of pullouts on Highway 49 just north of Electra Road where you could stop briefly to see the poppies in the distance up on the hillsides. A reminder that Electra is a narrow paved road that has a lot of small pot holes traveling parallel to the Mokelumne River.

Normally I would combine this trip to Electra Road with a visit to Daffodil Hill, or to the nearby wineries, or the seafood lobster buffet at Jackson Rancheria Casino which are all currently closed. So I decided to try a new wildflowers hiking location further south.

The GoCalaveras website recommended this location so I decided to explore the New Melones Lake Glory Hole Recreation Area in Angels Camp with an $8 day use fee. I would say there is a decent to good amount of poppies growing on the hillside on the western half of the Angels Creek Trail. If you prefer the scenic lakeside and wildflowers view I would recommend at the halfway point turning around and going back the way you came instead of completing the trail loop. The eastern half of Angles Creek Trail doesn’t really have much wildflowers because it goes back inland into forest area which run parallel to the road back to the different parking lots. The total hike was about a relatively easy 2.5 miles.

I parked at the Buck Bush Use Day area intending to start with the Buck Bush Loop Trail but accidentally turned left at the trailhead which went south to the Angels Creek Trail. At the next trail intersection I realized I was on the wrong trail but instead of turning around I decided to turn right to continue on the lakeside western half of Angels Creek Trail going from north to south. Some of these trail intersections don’t have signs so you need to look at the trail map or google maps on your phone to help you to stay on your intended path. Once I got back to the original trailhead entrance, this time I went right to explore the Buck Bush Loop Trail but besides one small spot of poppies, I did not see many wildflowers on this trail. It is possible there are other areas of New Melones Lake that has wildflowers but even at Angels Creek Trail the poppies are mixed in good with the thick grass so it would be hard to spot if looking from a far distance away. Website link below.https://www.gocalaveras.com/travel-directory/new-melones-lake-glory-hole-recreation/

I don’t have the comments sections set up to attach photos. You could either post them to one of the Facebook Wildflower sites (Wildflower Tipline, Botanical Wanderings California, California Wildflower Report) or email me at at the Contact Natural History Wanderings link at the bottom of the right column of the Natural History Wanderings main page.

Sagehen Creek Trail Camas Lilies. Report from Daniel in Sacramento on 6/3/19.
There is now a good showing of camas lilies in a meadow along the Sagehen Creek Trail near the Stampede Reservoir. The hike is about 4.5 miles round trip. Since half of these wildflowers appear to still be growing out, it might be about one more week before peak bloom. However, since the creek is running higher than usual, you must be willing to get your feet wet since the meadow with the camas lilies is on the other side of the creek from the trail. I crossed the creek in four different locations, but the simplest route might be just after the log bench before you get to the reservoir. There are less obstacles here and the creek also seems to flow less swiftly the closer you get to the reservoir. The downside is you have to walk in the direction back down the creek at least a couple hundred yards in the meadow to get to where the camas lilies are. Even if you are facing the right direction away from the reservoir, you might not see the flowers off in the distance.
I did not see any planks to cross the creek. There was one wooden block but there are at least 3 or 4 narrow water crossings before you get to the other side. You must be willing to cross in at least knee deep water, but it was not as cold as I thought it would be. I thought it was a bit muddy or mushy walking through the meadow with camas lilies. I would say there are about three sections of camas lilies that extend almost the full length of this meadow.
There is a small field of yellow flowers next to the trail before the reservoir, but the big show of camas lilies is in a meadow almost exactly on the other side of the creek. I am providing detailed directions because being my first time to this location; I almost didn’t find the meadow with camas lilies. The Sagehen Creek trailhead starts from a small dirt lot on the north side of the creek immediately right after Highway 89 crosses it. Sagehen Creek is about 6.7 miles north from the Hwy 80 intersection.

The wildflowers are now in peak bloom at the North Table Mountain Ecological Preserve in Oroville. I visited on the morning of Saturday 4/20/19 and was surprised to see more than double the amount of flowers I saw when I visited about three weeks ago. The bloom this year appears to have been delayed at least a week or two due to the colder than usual weather. Some years you would need to walk at least a quarter mile into the fields to find good patches but right now the wildflowers are so numerous they are carpeting the fields with an impressive display and extend all the way to the roadside. The sheer volume of many different types of wildflowers is close to match the amount I saw at North Table Mountain two years ago.
The vernal pool wildflowers are out in full force and along the sides of the streams. The only downside was the low flow at the waterfalls being at least half the volume from three weeks ago. Near Phantom Falls you can see spots where the vegetation is starting to dry up. However, late Saturday afternoon a thunderstorm with lightning came through this whole area dropping a considerable amount of precipitation in a short period of time. Perhaps this recent rain will extend the bloom season but with temperatures reaching the high 80s this week I would recommend visiting North Table Mountain soon if you can before the wildflowers are gone.

Hiked the Merced River Trail downstream of Briceburg and then 2 miles up the North Fork (10mi return) on Monday (2 photos). Nice variety of flowers, with larger displays of poppies, Lupine sp, goldfields, Collinsia, Triteleia laxa, and Triteleia ixoides. Nice hillsides in bloom the first 1/2 mile up North Fork in the burn area, with many Calachortus Alba and twining Brodiaea just beginning to bloom beyond that. Continued another mile past a large cascade on the North Fork but trail becomes very overgrown with brush. Buckbrush (Ceonuthus cuneatus) in heavy bloom along Merced River railroad grade, and many newts in the early morning. Access road from Briceburg to Railroad Flat trailhead was cleared and open.

Also hiked a few miles up the Hite Cove trail. Nice display and mix of species in bloom. As with elsewhere in the canyon, individual blooms are smaller than usual, so not as showy yet as some years, but lots of blooms. While some poppies were just starting to form seedpods, the ground was saturated, so I’d expect the bloom to continue and quite possibly increase for at least several weeks.

The Merced River was flowing very strongly after last week’s storms, and the redbud was in peak bloom. Brush including poison oak that survived the fires and recent dry years was bursting into growth.

In the foothills, I went on short hikes on 4/8/18 at Table Mountain above New Melones (some flowers, but much less than at Oroville’s Table Mountain) and Red Hills near Chinese Camp (nice variety, with showy displays on private land along Red Hills Road and lots of small fish (Red Hills Roach?) in the creek along Serpentine Loop Rd North – 2 photos).

I have just released a photo book of my first 5 years in Colorado. It’s called, “Nature Through My Eyes, Colorado” and covers the beauty of this state in all seasons and times of the day. There is a link on my website that will take you to the book on Amazon…..if anyone is interested.

Daniel reports on 3/18/18: There is now a good showing of wildflowers at The North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve. Many small poppies and goldfields are still growing. With more rain expected this week peak bloom may still be at least another week or two away. There are not many wildflowers by the parking lot so you must be willing to walk out about half a mile to where the larger mounds of volcanic rocks are. The most popular hike is going to the closest waterfall then turn right across the fields to go to the tallest (Phantom Falls) and back (about 4 miles round trip).
From the entrance you must walk through or around a small muddy area and follow the dirt path that goes straight out and slightly left that follows a stream to the first waterfall. About half way you will see the first good patch of wildflowers on a small hill to the left. There is a good concentration of flowers by the waterfall on both sides of the stream. From here you turn right and may be able to follow the locals across the fields going to Phantom Falls. You will pass a fallen barbwire fence, and then carefully go around the edge/end of another fence. The fields in between these two waterfalls have many good areas of wildflowers. There are areas where you can see somewhat of a dirt path to follow but there are no official trails.

Fairy slippers are now in bloom at Mount Tamalpais State Park. There aren’t as many as last year, but there are still plenty, and the ones I saw on Tuesday were in great shape. My blog entry with directions can be found at:http://www.wildmacro.com/blog/

A great experience can be had at the upcoming 19th Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway in Chico, CA on January 24 – 28, 2018

This action-packed 5-day event celebrates the remarkable journey of millions of waterfowl and raptors along the Pacific Flyway that call the Northern Sacramento Valley their home during the winter months. Choose from over 70 field trips and workshops that are sure to appeal to a wide variety of interests. Our workshops offer something for everyone! Free nature activities are offered for youth as well as armchair adventures for all.

Special Guest & Keynote Speaker: Jon L. Dunn, chief consultant and author of all seven editions of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, and a birding tour leader for over 30 years.

I haven’t seen any reports yet but I know this is typically when they bloom. You might try emailing or calling Yosemite. Also follow Michael Frye’s blog as he lives in that area and often posts about dogwood bloom https://www.michaelfrye.com/blog/

Nice variety of flowers on the Many Waterfall loop (good map at http://chicohiking.org/ValleyFoothill/Many-Waterfalls.htm). Very soggy ground, all waterfalls are running (photo of Beatson Falls). Not as many big fields of flowers and more grass than some years, but different species in bloom on the plateau, vernal pools, and ravines. Largest displays of goldfields, layia, gilia, and mimulus were on southern section of tableland between Coon and Ranch Falls (photo). Some nice Calochortus Alba in the ravine SW of Phantom Falls. Some flowers, like lupines, have both fresh flowers and well-developed seeds from earlier flowering. With the continued wet weather I’d expect the flowers and falls will continue at least through April.

Wildflowers report in Northern California. North Table Mountain.
Daniel reports: There is now a good showing of wildflowers at the North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve in Oroville, CA. However, the flowers seem to be a bit late as compared to last year. Not as many poppies yet and many of the goldfields are small but growing. It might still be at least a week away from peak bloom. The most concentrated areas of flowers seem to be near the top of some of the small hills and surrounding the mounds of volcanic rock.
Because it rained the day before, several of my friends ended up with wet and muddy shoes. If you don’t have water resistant shoes, it may be good to have an extra pair to change to when you get back to your vehicle. If you are going to hike to the waterfalls, it may require crossing and rock hoping over a couple small streams/ creeks along the way. There are some paths but no real established trails. The CDFW is not offering guided wildflower tours this year but there is staff by the entrance on the weekends to answer questions and help with directions. If you watch or follow many of the locals, they are all going about the same direction toward Phantom Falls walking straight out into the fields and going a bit to the right from the parking lot entrance. After going about 1 -2 miles you will see a lot more purple flowers as you get near Phantom Falls.

The Oroville Wildflower & Nature Festival will be this coming Saturday, April 1st from 10am to 4pm at the Nelson Complex. There is free admission to the event and guided wildflower bus tours up to Table Mountain with a $10 reservation donation.

Neither area am I familiar with what you might find. I would encourage you to contact local Audubon chapters and the National Recreation areas for each area and see what they expect to be happening at the time you are considering.

4/16/16 Daniel reports at Figueroa Mountain: Many wildflowers in about the same 4 areas as in prior years. As you go up Figueroa Mountain Rd you will see some nice spots of Mariposa lilies, these white flowers with violet colored edges in the grassland before entering the recreational area. After you pass the Figueroa station and a few hundred yards before the Pino Alto and Cachuma Saddle road split is the first and easiest place to get to a large field of flowers. On one side of the slope are poppies and on the other side are these purple bush lupines. The next 3 locations require you to turn left and go up a narrow dirt road toward Pino Alto, Lookout, & Cumbre. Driving slowly, my passenger car was able to go up there without major trouble.
The second main area of flowers is at about the halfway point of going up this dirt road to the Cumbre picnic area. At about 1 ½ miles I parked on a large pullout before the road curves left, and then I walked back a few hundred feet to a large batch of flowers going down slope on the right side of the road.

After passing the Pino Alto picnic area, the third main area of flowers is at & slightly before the road split for Cumbre and The Lookout. There is a thick concentration of both poppies and lupines together on a long hill going up the slope on the right. There is also a smaller batch of flowers on the other side of the road on the downward slope. At the intersection you can go right to the Lookout to view the surrounding mountain areas but there are not as many flowers there; but there did seem to be a lot of flying bugs.

The fourth main area of wildflowers is turning left at the intersection going to the Cumbre picnic area and from a few hundred yards in to around the halfway point are batches of poppies and lupines together. As you get closer to the picnic area there is a large area of purple bush lupines among the trees in a forest like setting. From here you are close to the top so I turned around and went back down the mountain.

I did see quite a few cars parked in one location where I assume people were hiking to Grass Mountain. I spoke to someone in the area and she said that it takes about 2 hours each way to hike to where the flowers are but that the display was not as nice now since it is about 1 week past the bloom peak.

4/3/16 Northern CA wildflowers report. Electra Rd in Jackson CA off of Hwy 49.
Daniel reports: There are many wildflowers on Electra Rd along the Mokolumne River in Jackson CA (located about 45 miles northeast from Stockton and southeast from Sacramento). Traveling from Sacramento, I took Hwy 16 East then Hwy 49 South. After passing the main town of Jackson you will start seeing spots of poppies on the hillside about 3/4 of a mile before Electra Road. After turning left on this paved but narrow road you will see small patches of wildflowers here and there for the first mile. But the best viewing is between mile 1 and 2. The wildflowers (mostly poppies & lupines) are so concentrated here that they form large patches and fields that go up the hillside. Electra Road travels east right next to the North Fork of the Mokolumne River. By the end of mile two there are even many flowers on the other side of the road that go down within a couple feet of the water.

As you enter the day use and picnic area, the poppies appear further up the hillside and away from the road. However, there are various purple and yellow flowers between this mile 2 and 3 section of the park. By the 3rd mile you reach the dam and the road turns into gravel so you have to turn around. By 5:30pm most of the hillside was under shade and many poppy flowers were closed up. If you have extra time such as on the weekend, you could combine your trip here in Jackson with a visit to McLaughlin’s Daffodil Hill (10am to 4pm) in Volcano CA (if the farm is still open during their short bloom season). Or if you like wine tasting, you could stop by one of the over 40 wineries in nearby Plymouth/Amador County. Many wineries here will waive the tasting fee if you buy a bottle.

Northern California Wildflower Report
Daniel reports: On Saturday 3/26/16 I went hiking at North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve near Oroville, where in my opinion is the best place in Northern California to consistently view an abundance of spring wildflowers every year. There were not many flowers by the parking lot on Cherokee Rd but as you walk 1 /4 to 1/2 mile into the fields you start seeing nice patches of flowers around the volcanic rocks. The peak bloom is still at least 1 week away because many small goldfields and poppies are still in the process of growing. Then about 1 to 2 miles on the hike to Fairy Falls and Phantom Falls is where you start seeing the large carpet fields of wildflowers. Besides purple lupines and goldfields, I was surprised to see several other types of flowers I had not seen in abundance in the prior drought years. There are also some spots where the poppies have a large showing on some of the hills.
Shirmir Rd on the GPS recommended route is closed, so I detoured to the Grand Ave exit on Highway 70 (Exit 48). Go East on Grand Ave for 1 mile. Left on Table Mountain Blvd for a tenth of a mile. Right on Cherokee Road 6.3 miles north to the reserve. Official access is through a small parking lot on the west side of Cherokee Road (left side traveling north). It is the only parking area which has portable restrooms. When I went on Saturday afternoon, the parking lot was full and people were parking along the side of the road. It was the most people I had seen there in three years. Since there are no established trails on the first half of the hike, I made online reservations for my group for the 1:00pm free tour with a guide from the CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife. A lot of the tours are already full but if you put yourself on the waiting list and call a few days beforehand most likely they will give you the ok to come. On our tour about half of the people were no-show. The advantage of going on the weekend when there are a lot of people, is that you can ask and follow the many locals who are hiking and know the way to the three waterfalls that are close to each other. Right after you pass Phantom falls there is a rocky path to go down to the base of the falls with a rope section to aid the last part of the decent. Round trip hike is about 3 -4 miles through cow pasture, with some muddy spots, and crossing a couple shallow small streams.

Thanks for the detailed report. North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve is one of Northern California’s top Wildflower Hotspots so it was great to get an updated report. I copied it onto the main page.

Daniel Reports: On Tuesday March 15th I entered the Carrizo Plain from the south entrance. Traveling north on Soda Lake Rd there are about 5 to 6 small carpet fields of flowers close to this mostly level dirt road starting with one right by the Carrizo Plain NM sign. Then a few miles south of Soda Lake it culminates into 1 or 2 very large fields of flowers. The flowers are mostly goldfields, purple phaecelia, and there are sections of orange fiddleneck. The road finally turns into pavement and as I look across the lake you can see two small hills completely covered in yellow flowers on the eastern side by Elkhorn Rd; however, due to time I was not able to inspect them. After turning right on Highway 58 and passing the solar panel facility you see many scenic hills that are 1/4 to 1/2 covered in yellow flowers as you are exiting the Carrizo Plain area. Similar to what other people were doing, I stopped at 1 or 2 places by the highway where the flowers were thickly concentrated at the bottom of the hills.

I should mention that around the halfway point traveling north to Soda Lake from the top of a hill you can see one large field of yellow flowers next to another large field of purple on the eastern side of the plain. I quickly look at my phone GPS which barely had a signal and it shows a road that might go there. There is a fork in the road immediately as I turn right. Instead of going left further up the hill, I take the dirt road that goes right around and down into the plain. I could not find a name for this road but it takes you right up to the large area of yellow goldfields. I go further down the road through a small gate where there is a circular dome building and wooden tower. A few hundred feet after this gate, I stop and walk 5 to 10 minutes out to this large purple field of flowers. After this I had to turn around because in about another 1/2 mile the road drops about 4 feet straight down into some dry creek bed. The map shows other roads that connect with Simmler Soda Lake Rd but the dirt road I was traveling on has an impassable section. Looking back on the map I think it might be the road that has a big left horseshoe curve at the end. There were also a couple spots of higher grass in the middle of the dirt road that my passenger car was able to slowly go through.

Daniel Reports: On Tuesday March 15th, on the way to the Carrizo Plain I stopped at two spots around the Gorman hills to view wildflowers. The first location is the same place on Gorman Post Rd others have reported around the halfway point from Gorman to Hwy 138. The GPS map show some sort of small pond next to it on the right side of the field which appears to be hidden by trees. You will see a few hills with color on them and there is a section where there is no fence line. The area by the trees has the closest access to the flowers from the road. There is another nice small field of flowers a few hundred feet north and I put on my leg guards before walking out into the tall grass to the bottom of the hill. The view may not be as grand as you may expect, but it would be worth checking out these two small fields right by Hwy 5 if you just happen to be passing by.

The second spot of wildflowers I stopped at involves pulling over on the side of the highway, which you will have to do at your own discretion. On Highway 5 going northbound you will see nice patches of orange flowers on the hillsides. As your going downhill I’m estimating about 1 mile after the Fort Tejon exit immediately after one of the large overhead signs you will see a large dirt pull off. There is a low curb before getting onto the dirt which should be ok as long as you slowdown beforehand. If you walk 10-20 feet up to the fence line you will be next to a nice concentrated section of poppies and lupines going up the hill. Before getting back on the highway, I backed up on the dirt pull off so I can get a running start before merging back onto the highway lane with a long safe open gap in between the semi-trucks.

Daniel Reports: On Friday, March 11th, I stopped by Arvin on the way to Southern California. There are fields of orange fiddleneck (small withered looking dark orange colored flowers). Although there were spots of other types of flowers, I did not see any large patches where I needed to stop for photos. It was overcast with periods of rain, so I drove extra slow to look around more carefully on the way back. I drove the 223 from Hwy 99 all the way past Hwy 58 to Caliente. If there is a good section of other types of wildflowers besides orange fiddlenecks I did not see them, or it might not be easy to spot from the road.

My husband and I recently hiked in Red Rock Canyon Open Space in Colorado Springs. Lots of pretty wildflowers, but I especially enjoyed seeing the Mariposa Lilies. Have posted photos on Flicker at:https://www.flickr.com/cameraroll

Northern California Wildflower Report
Daniel Reports: On Saturday 4/4/15 I also went to the North Table Mountain Ecological Preserve taking the tour through the Oroville Wildflower Festival. Unfortunately, it is already at least 2 weeks past the season flower peak. About half of the vegetation has already dried out. There are still patches of lupines but no California poppies and no endless carpets of flowers fields like I saw last year. Many of the vernal pools have dried up but there are still some that have goldfields & white and magenta colored flowers. The bloom came early this season and started drying quickly. The current rains may help the remaining vegetation but like I mentioned it is at least 2 weeks past the flower peak.

Daniel Reports: On Saturday April 4th, I went on a guided tour of the vernal pool flowers at the Jepson Prairie Preserve. The docents from the Solano Land Trust were able to take us to the normally restricted fenced area where most the flowers are on the right side lake/pond. At the beginning of the tour you see patches of mini lupines. However, you don’t see the fields of goldfields until the second half of the tour because they are on the other side of the lake. There are some spots of different wildflowers here and there but mostly large patches of goldfields. The docents explained that the flowers are currently at the season peak and most likely will remain so for at least another week. Tours are at 10:00 am on Saturday & Sunday & no RSVP needed for groups of less than 5. The Jepson Prairie Preserve is located on Cook Lane, off of Hwy 113, about 10 miles south of Dixon, CA.

A great day at Limantour Beach at Point Reyes where iris and ceanothus were very fresh. Also irises were profuse up the coast at Bodega Head. Harbor seals too were leaping in great schools from south to north just beyond the mammoth rocks that guard the coast.

Last week there were nice fields of lupine blooming along Hwy 128 in the hills by Putah Creek above Lake Solano (5 miles west of Winters in Yolo County). Looked like the lupine, and some brodea and poppies in this pretty oak grassland would last for at least another week.

Today, Del Puerto Canyon road out of Patterson, driving east to west. The flowers seemed to be in full bloom today and the richness of the greenest grass I’ve seen in years highlighted our trip. Every color of flower you can imagine was in bloom.

My 80 year old mom had just been discharged from a 5 day hospital stay 2 days ago, I thought a little ride in nature would cheer her up. It sure did, it made her feel alive again.

As of March 1, 2015 the hills east of Fresno/Clovis (especially Ashlan Avenue (east) are EXQUISTELY covered in carpets of white flowers and fields of mustard, interspersed with tiny purple blooms. There are even wide sprays of poppy fields on the higher foothills. All of this is splendidly arrayed on the most vibrantly verdant rolling foothills I have witnessed in years. And I have lived here my entire life. This is the year to see the foot of the Sierras if you’re coming for the blossom trail. With more rain on the way it is sure to push it out another week or two.

I visited the Jepson Prairie Preserve yesterday, between the storms. Yellow Carpet is popping up in many places. I also found California Golden Violet, padre’s Shooting Star, Caraway-leaved Lomatium and Shining Peppergrass, although you have to search a bit to find most of these. It is still early.

The Mindful Hiker reports Chimney Rock wildflowers in Point Reyes National Seashore are at peak right now. Included, near the end of the trail, are pussy ears (many), mule ears, Indian paintbrush, blue-eyed grass, mallow, blue larkspur, and Douglas iris. It’s windy but it’s worth it.

Save the date!
The Bird Rescue Center opens its doors to the public for the 2nd Annual Festival of Feathers!

We are pleased to announce our Second Annual Festival of Feathers Open House event in Santa Rosa, California, on Saturday April 26, 11am-4pm (FREE).

Guests will be wowed by opportunities for up-close encounters with the Center’s resident birds of prey, which will include a variety of owls, falcons and hawks. Kids of all ages will enjoy a selection of fun and educational activities. Appetizers, snacks, desserts and wines representing Sonoma County’s finest will be available. A silent auction and raffle with items and services offered by wonderful local artists and businesses will be offered.

FACILITIES LOCATION
The Bird Rescue Center is located in the North East Santa Rosa area at 3430 Chanate Road, just east of Sutter Hospital.

At the sign for 3430 Chanate Road, immediately LOOK FOR A STREET SIGN FOR “COUNTY FARM DRIVE” and turn into that driveway. Follow the narrow curving one-way road around several county buildings until you see the signs for The Bird Rescue Center.

The Mindful Hiker reports that the peach trees at Dry Creek Peach in the beautiful Dry Creek Valley in Healdsburg CA are at peak blossom right now. Fabulous, as are the organic peaches you can taste this summer from this great orchard.

Because of the Rim Fire last year, the only trail available is the one from the dam to Wapama and Rancheria Falls. (The trail to Poopenaut Valley is closed.) It’s early in the season, but in the moist areas we found many red maids (Calandrinia ciliata), filaree (Erodium cicutarium), and a few harlequin lupines (Lupinus stiversii), which are just getting started. Some of the larger pools of flowing water still contain Sierra newts (Taricha sierrae).

Wednesday 3/12 at Hite Cove:

The first mile or so of the Hite Cove trail has many patches of tufted poppies (Eschscholzia caespitosa), blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), popcorn flower (Plagiobothrys nothofulvus), fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii), and red maids (Calandrinia ciliata) in the sunnier areas, and Henderson’s shooting star (Dodecatheon hendersonii) in the shadier areas, with clusters of baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii) where the conditions are right. The western redbud (Cercis occidentalis) are starting to bloom in earnest along the trail and in the Merced River canyon. If mosquitoes bother you, be prepared, because they’re coming out in force along this trail.

The California Native Garden Foundation (CNGF) is proud to present the Eating California Holiday Brunch, Dedication, and Open House, December 15, 2013 at 12 PM at the Middlebrook Center, 76 Race Street, in downtown San Jose. The brunch features California native edible plants, particularly prickly pears, elderberry, and Rogers Red grape puree, all harvested from our urban garden. Alrie Middlebrook, President of CNGF, has collaborated with Chef John Farais since 2006, specializing in developing native edibles to the modern palate.
This Eating California event is an opportunity to try the foods of tomorrow as growing, harvesting, and eating native edibles lends itself to a sustainable and healthy lifestyle and future. John Farais is working to preserve the Native American’s cuisine with indigenous ingredients, while helping Californians rediscover what tastes were once common, congruent with our mission at CNGF to educate about the sustainability of native Californian landscapes and nourishment.
At the same time, we will honor our local resident artists and dedicate our new hanging garden structure. Alrie Middlebrook will give a talk on the importance of these structures in educating children for building cities of the future.
CNGF extends an invitation to community members to see our garden and enjoy a delicious brunch crafted from the food plants that Native Californians ate for thousands of years. See our benchmarks of urban farming, and explore the community space for artists, gardeners, food enthusiasts, and like-minded individuals that is housed at the Middlebrook Center for Urban Sustainability.

d S;
I just viewed the Chicken video composed by Excedrin.
It reminded me of what the ranger told us at The Big Thicket:
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To show the Armadillo that it could be done!

Thank you so much for your wonderful website. It takes a lot of dedication and work to to such a great site. This is an incredible resource for all the flora and fauna enthusiasts KUDOS.

Suggestion: since the listings have greatly expanded to include other states’ reports. would it be possible to list them by say CA and each of the other states. Or list reports wildflowers, birds, fauna etc. It would make the searches more user friendly but undoubtedly make more work for you.

Thanks for the comment and suggestion. I partially do what you suggested but can improve on this

If you use the categories in the right hand section you can get a list of recent wildflower or bird reports. I also add tags of Wildflower Bloom Report and Bird Report to appropriate posts, which is another way to get a list.

What I will start to do is also include state listings with wildflower reports as well. Bird reports are almost all in California.

I think you are probably early for the higher elevations like Lundy Canyon and Death Valley is very dry this year. I would suggest contacting the local visitor information offices:
Mono Lake Visitor Center: Phone: (760) 647-6595http://www.monolake.org

The United States is home to world’s most extensive system of protected public lands—the U.S. National Park System. The system includes more than 450 natural, historical, recreational, and cultural areas throughout the United States, its territories, and island possessions—more than 84 million acres in total. The parks include unique and fragile wonders like over 400 endangered species and cultural treasures from pre-Columbian America to the Civil Rights Movement. We created Our National Parks: The Pride of America (http://onlinempa.unc.edu/our-national-parks-the-pride-of-america-infographic/) to bring attention to these valuable national resources and raise awareness to ensure that they remain protected for generations to come.

Things have been very quiet in Solano County. The only places I’ve hiked with any significant bloom are Rockville Hills Regional Park and Rockville Trails. RT is the newest reserve in the Solano Land Trust holding and is across the street from Rockville Hills. Right now they are preparing to host guided hikes, which should comence soon. More open access is still being planned for next year but there’s a lot of work to do to make that happen. Rockville Hills has some early spring flowers. Milk maids, Indian Warrior, Buttercups, Popcorn flower, Small flowered Nemophila. Now starting to show Hound’s tongue, Scarlet fritillary, Mission bells, Amsinckia, wild pea, Castilleja, Blue dicks.

Jepson Prairie has only shown Blennosperma, Dodecatheon, a few goldfields, two varieties of popcorn flower, a few Golden violet just about covers it. The Prairie bells are starting to bloom (about a month later than normal). This may portend, if you’re a wishful (or should I use wistful) thinker, a delayed profusion of bloom. My fingers are crossed.

Thanks for your updates. I just posted them. I had put up the earlier ones from the Solano Land Trust Flickr site but added these as well even though they there is some overlap. I greatly appreciate your contributions.
Sandy
Natural History Wanderings

Just got back from a weekend of chasing the light and fall colors in SE Utah. The cottonwoods along Hwy 211 near Newspaper rock on the drive to Needles district of the canyonlands were fun to capture while backlit. Most of the Cottonwoods are finished “blooming” We drove along the highway expecting to see more fall color, as in years past. Does anyone have a report for Comb Ridge outside of Bluff, Utah?

As of last week (8/27-30), Goat Rocks Wilderness (WA, between Rainier & Adams) was still an amazing wildflower extravaganza. Huge fields of lupines, with paintbrush, bistort, various daisies, and pasque flower seedheads all in abundance. Fair number of subalpine mariposa lilies as well. Photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomhilton/sets/72157631368219426/

The Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour is coordinating a series of fall events. The first is a free Native Plant Sale Extravaganza, which will take place on Oct. 7 from 10:00 – 4:00. Native plants will be sold at eight locations, three private gardens will be open for viewing, and talks will be offered throughout the day. Pre-registration is required. http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/fall-plant-sale

A second event is a series of small, guided, private tours of native plant gardens. These will be offered throughout Sept. and October. The cost is $30. Participants will learn how to remove their lawn, install grey water and rain water systems, design beautiful native plant gardens that will provide color and beauty throughout the year, and more. Details at http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/fall-select-tours

Jepson Prairie was very dry, Olcott playa was down to about an acre. Sparse bloom. Recent rains have filled Olcott to more than half. Some bloom beginning to show. Frittilary, shooting stars, blennosperma, goldfields, popcorn flower, butter and eggs, navarettia, golder violets, biscuit root are beginning to bloom.

Hi Sandy,
I’ve been following your blog for a year or so. You do a great job! It’s an excellent resource, and I’ve used it several times in planning wild-flowering trips.
Below is an email response from DFG regarding a proposed trail at North Table Mountain, in Oroville. Not living in Butte Co., I had no idea this was under consideration. I’m hoping to increase the public’s scrutiny of this project by getting the word out to the CA Native Plant Society, and to you, if you chose to post it. Thanks!

“The pink markings/tufts are for establishing an approximate zone for a prospective all person’s, road tread trail. This zone allows researchers to do appropriate surveys, as required under CA Envir. Quality Act to assess whether the plan is viable as is, needs revision, or cannot advance.
CEQA work is starting this week. We held public scoping meetings in Butte Co. in November and received good support to advance this next phase. We are not using general state funds (tax dollars) for this.
We are proposing a trail to reduce ecological damage and safety issues on south side of Phantom Falls, redirecting visitors to a better and safer view of the same views.
We also are leading public tours via online reservations Saturdays March 3 through April 28.

Thanks for your interest and info on newts. We’ve included the newt and many other wildlife and plant species on new panels that we’ll showcase on weekends at entrance. We hope to put them in ground when and if a trail is finally approved and construction funds are secured.
I’m at 916 358 2353 if you’d like to discuss next week or later.
Bruce Forman ”
—–Original Message—–
From: R2 Info R2 Info
To: Forman, Bruce

>>> firebellyfarm 2/23/2012 10:42 AM >>>
Hi folks,
On a visit to NTM last week, we noticed a line of pink paint splotches and pink plastic “tufts” along the rise above the east-west creek drainage, and at the extreme edge of the vernal pool area, on the north side. Is this a proposed fenceline? Hiking trail?? To keep cows or people in or out of some area???

The newt population in the streams was excellent. They seem to like the lower water flow this winter, compared to the last two. Perhaps the water is a bit warmer, or perhaps the fact that it is less turbulent is better, as far as they are concerned.

Thanks for your comment. Butte County is part of the Mount Lassen CNPS Chapter. I noticed that when I went to the chapter site the conservation chair was WOODY ELLIOTT conservationchair@mountlassen.cnps.org
He might be a good starting point to share this with.

Hi Sandy, Great blog and resource. I came across it because YourGardenShow is helping attract people to Prof. LeBuhn’s Bee Count – among other citizen science initiatives (http://www.yourgardenshow.com/citizen-science). We have been urging our community to speak up about the National Park funding too. Keep up the good work and if there is any collaboration we can create, I am all ears.

We walked the Buttermilk Bend Trail of South Yuba River State Park. Although they warned us that the spring flower bloom was past it’s peak, we found the walk very satisfying. Still blooming, we found about 50% of the flowers featured in their helpful $5.00 brochure. Our favorites were the Elegant Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata) which lived up to it’s elegant name, Canyon Dudleya (Dudleya cymosa) which seemed to be on fire. the Elegant Brodiaea (Brodiaea elegans) which seemed to be at their prime, and the Monkey Flower Bush (Mimulus aurantiacus) which were full of blooms. We found about 30 species in all from the ubiquitous Winter Vetch to a few hiding Chinese Houses, from the tiny Canyon Nemophilia to the huge Buckeye.

The next day we visited Malakoff Diggins State Park just outside of Nevada City. Following the beautiful Humbug Trail we found a few stars still blooming. The most abundant was the Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra formosa), Indian Pink (Silene californica), Alumroot (Heuchera rubescens), and Stonecrop (Sedum obtusatum).

Unfortunately, we received the bad news that both of these parks are scheduled to be closed due to lack of funding. Glad we were able to visit while they are open.

We visited the South Yuba River State Park on April 30th. The Buttermilk Bend trail has a wonderful selection of wildflowers. I identified over 50 species, and it is a very easy hike. Lots of Fairy Lantern (Calochortus albus). The docents have many of the flowers marked so that you can easily identify them. VERY nice hike. We also went to the Independence Trail. That isn’t as showy, but it is a much cooler hike (and perfectly level). I was surprised by the abundance of Yellow Star Tulip (Calochortus monophyllus)

On April 17 my wife and I visited Pt. Reyes National Seashore (based on your recommendations). Chimney Rock has a WONDERFUL bloom, may different species, and very easy access. Abbott’s Lagoon was great, too, although the best flowers were on the headland to the south of the lagoon, where the trail branches and goes up the hill. Wonderful flowers, great view.

Glad you liked it. Chimney Rock is probably the best can’t miss bet for great flowers right now including Calochortus Tolmei. Abbott’s Lagoon is usually interesting all year. Glad you got up on the headland too. I copied your report onto the main page of Natural History Wanderings.

Went up to El Portal along the Merced River Canyon on Apr.12. The redbud near el portal are now in full swing. Many are close to the road, but there are a few juxtaposed a bit closer to the water. Still no sign of poppies on surrounding hills. The river is high, but bound to get higher as the melt off starts in earnest. Highway 140 east of Merced has some nice patches of cream cups and what look to be a few vernal pools with nice rings of flowers. Pull-off spots can be a bit tricky and cars zoom along this section, so use care if trying to stop and flower peep.
Also went through the green hills east of Oakdale, along hwy. 120. Again, cream cups and buttercups steal the show with wide swaths in some areas. Enjoy.

I took my niece to Joshua Tree National Park last weekend for a “secret” hike to Carey’s Castle. The hike did not require admission to the park. The trailhead begins just past Chiriaco Summit and wanders into park territory. The trek was a little more strenuous than we anticipated, but completely worth the effort. The trail is unmarked and it’s easy to get turned around or head up the wrong canyon. Lots of sand and several large boulder hops left us tired. The Castle itself is a walled-in cave formed by large boulders. Many of Carey’s artifacts (a pipe, springs, egg beater, bed) are still in the Castle. Be sure to carry along plenty of water or Gatorade. I’ve posted pictures including a BLM map with the trail highlighted.

I was at the Jepson Prairie Reserve last weekend (3/12) and the flowers are just starting. Not the big showy displays around the pools yet, but a lot of interesting finds. This was the first weekend of the docent tours.

Thanks, Sandy! I love your blog, keep up the good work. I hope to get to some of the places you are talking about (I’ve been to some, but not all) if the weather ever dries out. I was supposed to be up at Table Mountain today, but my wife and I decided we couldn’t handle the wind, rain and cold.

Wind Wolves, March 12-13: as last week’s report suggested, there’s no spectacular show at this point (a few nice swatches of goldfields on the mountainsides, but that’s about it). There are plenty of wildflowers if you look for them, though. Along the spring wildflower trail there were a fair number of fiddlenecks, popcorn flower, and blue dicks; up the San Emigdio Canyon Trail, I saw goldfields, phacelia, lupines, birdseye gilia, bladderpod, and owl’s clover. Photos here: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=wind%20wolves&w=54259492%40N00

Hiked the Hazelnut Trail in San Pedro Valley County Park this morning. Still well before prime, but the early-season flowers are well represented: tons of manzanita (of course); trillium; hounds tongue; milk maids; red currant; less blackberry in bloom than I expected, but there was some. Huckleberry not quite there yet.

The real prize was the Fetid Adder’s Tongue (my primary goal in doing this trail)–lots of it in the upper portion of the eastern switchbacks. Best way to spot it is the leaves, which are much larger than the flower; look for basal leaves in a sort of inverted cone configuration.

Eastern Sierra: Too windy Here too, (rain, TS predicted for high country), so turned around from Tioga Pass toward Yosemite and went to calm
Old marina at Mono lake (can’t vouch for water, boats warned off) and stood right next to hundreds of Wilson’s Phalaropes. The nesting gulls from 6 weeks ago are gone, from here at least. Going to try wonderful high trail next to Minaret Summit today-let you know.

Hi there, I will hopefully have a post after this weekend, but I wanted to take a moment to express a concern. I noticed today that the long standing and very helpful wildflower report on Carol Leigh’s Calphoto website has been discontinued due to her wish to not negatively impact wildflower bloom areas. Apparently there have been numerous reports of people trespassing on private property, trampling through wildflower fields etc. This behavior has been spotted in photographers and flower peepers alike. I hope everyone keeps in mind how lucky we are to be able to visit many of these beautiful areas in California and that you will all take care to leave those spaces, and the wildflowers within them, as you found them. Thanks